NEW RELEASES FROM - ART BLAKELY, ADMAD JAMAL, FOX CAPTURE PLAN

ART BLAKELY - HOLD ON, I'M COMING

A soulful little record from Art Blakey – and very different than his Blue Note sessions! The album's got a tight soul jazz groove – shorter numbers, fuller backings, and an overall sound that's almost more like Cadet Records at the time. Backings are handled by Melba Liston or Tom McIntosh, and tracks are shorter than usual – but still filled with firey work by from the players – who include Freddie Hubbard and Chuck Mangione on trumpet, Tom McIntosh and Garnett Brown on trombone, Gary Bartz on alto, Frank Mitchell on tenor, Grant Green on guitar, John Hicks on piano, and Malcolm Bass on organ. A number of tracks have a conga drum groove – very unusual for the average Blakey album – and the tracks are a mix of soul jazz originals and pop covers, like "Secret Agent Man", "Sakeena", "Slowly But Surely", "Monday, Monday", and "Hold On, I'm Coming". ~ Dusty Groove.

AHMAD JAMAL - PORTFOLIO OF AHMAD JAMAL

One of Ahmad Jamal's best early albums for Argo – a brilliant set of live recordings, done at the Spotlite Club in Washington DC in 1958 – and with a fluid vibe that's simply incredible – one of the best true statements of Jamal's genius from the early years! The trio is incredible on the set – opening up even more than on other classics from the time – and really letting the bass work of Israel Crosby and the mellow drums of Vernell Fournier get equal time with Jamal's incredible lines on piano – as the stretch out and do things that jazz pianists would hardly have been able to conceive a few years before. The whole thing's fantastic – and the double-length set is really unusual for the time, but a great way to encompass all the wonderful energy of the performance. Titles include "Aki & Ukthay", "Our Delight", "Tater Pie", "Seleritus", "This Can't Be Love", "Ole Devil Moon", "Ivy", and "Let's Fall In Love". ~ Dusty Groove

FOX CAPTURE PLAN - BRIDGE

Fast drums, fast piano, and a groove that's mighty darn nice – that wonderful sound we're really digging from Fox Capture Plan – a Japanese trio who mix clubjazz modes with almost a minimalist sense of progression! The tunes have loads of leaping piano lines from Ryo Kishimoto – a player who manages to bring lyrical elements to his music, even when adhering tightly to the direction of the piano and bass in the trio – an approach that almost takes us back to the sublime Japanese work from Spiritual Vibes many years back. Titles include "Rising", "Far Out", "Pictures", "Teardrop", and "Attack On Fox". ~ Dusty Groove